Boehner is convening the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group — a committee made up of Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) — “for the purpose of initiating action by the House to defend this law.”

The law defines marriage as a union of a man and woman, but the Obama administration, in a major win by gay rights groups, has decided to stop defending the law in court. Republicans have seethed that the president can’t just unilaterally decide that a certain law is unconstitutional.

“It is regrettable that the Obama administration has opened this divisive issue at a time when Americans want their leaders to focus on jobs and the challenges facing our economy,” Boehner said in a statement Friday. “The constitutionality of this law should be determined by the courts — not by the president unilaterally — and this action by the House will ensure the matter is addressed in a manner consistent with our Constitution.”